Pankam Village, Myanmar

Grabbed an interpreter/guide with a knowledge of Shan, Burmese, and Palau language and set off northward. Just one day trekking in Myanmar distinguished it from my former Ladakhi and Nepali treks. First, there are no daunting Himalayan Peaks staring me down. Secondly, and as one could expect, the local Burmese ethnic tribes are much less accustomed to seeing white faces. Because of this, people pop their heads out of their stilted bamboo homes to get a look. We are generally greeted with a smile and a hello in one of the local dialects ("Ming-ga-la-ba" in Burmese, "Mai-su-ka" in Shan, and "Kem-Sa" in Palau). And, for the first time in Myanmar, the food has been stellar. Stuffed on tea and pink vermicelli noodle salads, sweet potato curries, cabbage and mustard seed soups, Shan noodles, and relentless Shan and Palau hospitality, I certainly will not be losing any weight on this trek.Read more